Apparatus for manufacturing heating or fuel gas



(No Model.) '3 Sheets-Sheet 1.4.,

A. K'ITsoN. APPARATUS FUR MANUFACTURING HEAUNG 0R FUEL GAS. No. 440,050.` A., Patented Nov. 18, 1800;

\ Z {y} Y 0 I sremf il G( :Lik-t yf f.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. KITSON. Y ABPARATUS FORMANUPAGTURING HEATING 0R FUEL GAS. No. 440,950. j Patented No?. 18,1890,

- S14-vanto@ A. @Hoz-140,12* I 3 Sheets- Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

AQ KITSON.1 APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING HEATING 0R FUEL GAS. r No. 440,950.

QW MMM@ tINrrnn Starts Falter@ @errent ARTHUR KITSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUs Foa MANUFACTURING HEATING 'on FUEL one.

SPECIFICATION for ming part of IlettersPatent No. 440,95Q, dated November 18, 1890.

Application filed December 27,1 1889. Serial No. 335,109, (N o model.) l

ToaZZ whom it may concern.' y

-Be it known that I, ARTHUR KITSON, a subi ject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Heating or Fuel Gas; and I do hereby declare the following to he a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which' it appertains to make and use the same.

-This invention relates to certain improvements in the method and apparatus for generating heating or fuel gas. These improvements consist, mainly, in features of construction, arrangement, and operation as follows: frs the internal shape and construction of is used, and for removing ashes,'ci'ndcrs, the;

the furnace, together with a movable fire-box having means for giving it both a rotary motion andan up-and-down vertical mot-ion for 'shaking up the fuel and for preventing caking of the coal when bituminous or soft coal second, the peculiar mechanism and method for raising and lowering the fire-box and at the same time giving it a rotary motion; third, a new and improved form of ash-box and means fondumping the ashes in Connection with the ash-pit, so that ashes, cinders,

dre., may be removed from the furnace Withwith Winding or eireuitous channels for heating air. or steam, or a mixture of steam and air, tol be suppliedlto the generator, or for other purposes; seventh, an improved form ofhopper and means for operatingthe same,

by which labor is savedin supplyingand replenishing fuel to thefurnace; eighth, a peculial` form of stirrer orpoker and mechanism. for operating it for stirring up the fuel kin the'.

generator, and, ninth, the general details of construction and operation of the generator by which .it is adapted especially for burhing bituminous or soft coal for the 'generation of gas.

I will now describein detail the construc-4 tionand operation of my'generator by reteif ence to the -accompanyingl drawings, in whiel1-A Figure -l" represents a vertical section of the generator. Fig. 2 represents a plan view of the under side of the top plate of the furnace, showing the flanges and channels formed on such plate-j Fig. 3 represents a top plan view of' the base of the furnace vcontaining the fire-box and'asl1chan1be1. Fig. 4: represents a vertical section throughthe topA of the furnace, the fuel-hopper, and the stirring mech- Like letters and numerals or reference indicate the same parts in thedit'ferent figures of the drawings.

The aslrchamher A, containing the fire-box a downwardly-extending annular flange `p for receiving the fire-box and with downwardlyextending hangers 1l provided at theirl'ower ends with rollers 7l.,

The lire-box B is provided near its bottom with inner annular flanges l, supporting the brick lining, and is also provided on its outer surface with spiral lianges or tramways b. for A Supporting the box upon the rollers It.

fire-box is also provided near its bottom with The IOO

an outer toothed gear or ring Bfor engaging with the pinion T,.mounted on .shaft #,by

means of which the fire-box is `rotated andv raised or lowered. The shaftt is journaled at top and bottom and has secured to it the bevel gear-Wheels', meshing with the bevelgear z, secured to the inner end of horizontal shaft Z, which is provided Yat its outer end with handle Y. By means of this mechanism the fire-box is-readily rotated and raised or'lowered, according to the vdirection in which the handle is turned. The object of these' two motions is to shake up the fuel more thoroughly and to provide for more effectively using bituminous or soft coal in the generator. Slots or narrow passages b are 'provided in the upper portion of the firebox for admission of air all around its circumference when it is lowered below thel tending through the walls .o f the furnace,

where they are provided in practice with levers for operating them. The `shaft may also vbe provided with gears meshing into each other, so that whenone shaft is turned the other 'will be simultaneously turned for raisa stuffing-box e at the end of casing E.

ing or lowering the interlocking portions of the grate for shaking out the ashes or for dumping it when desired into the ash-chamber. ln practice four hangers, each provided with a roller, are used for supporting the firebox by its spiral flange Zz'. The brick lining of the fire-box is preferably inclined downward and inward, so as to extend and increase the heating-surface, and .also to contract the' grate-opening. The upper portion of the furnace iscomposed of fire-brick and an outer iron jacket, the brick lining being inclined inward and upward from the annular plate P up to the top. AThe upper portion of the fire-box l is made of greater diameter than the bottom of the furnace F. The object of thisis to prevent caking when soft coal is used and to keep the fuel more compact. Thus when the box l is lowered the ent-ire weight of the fuel exerts its full pressure downward unchecked by the friction of the side walls of the furnace, as when such walls extend upward from top to bottom or are inclined inward-toward the grate, as in most furnaces. Any bridgeor arch formed in the upper portion of the fuel is readily poked down by means of the poker L, as shown in Figs. l, 4, and 5. Passages E are provided in the' walls of the furnace near the base. of the fuel-chamber, and in such passages are placed the sharp supporting-bars D,

having handles d, as shown in Figs. l and 7.

Bar D is made of wrought-.iron and is pointed at the end in order to readily cut throughI the fuel. The object of this bar is mainly to support the large bod yof fuel when the ashes and cinders are dumped out of the fire-box l. Itserves also tobreak up the fuel, elinkcrs,

&c. The handle d of the bar works through A number of these bars maybe arranged at difsponding to the capacity of box B.

ferent 'points around the base of the generator for better supporting the fuel. Instead of providing the stuffing-box E witlra casing, the bar may be Withdrawn and the passageway closed with a plugv or cap.

When the box B is clogged 0r filled with of fuel is immediately let into the top of the furnace through the hopperfG, Figs. l and 4. lt will be seen that the new fuel falls at once into the space previously occupied by the incandescent fuel and becomes 'gasified by the A charge l heat contained in the brick-work. In some may be Aproduced by lowering the .fire-boX`B- by turning handle Y and the intermediate gearing (after first having introduced a fresh charge `of coal) and then raising it again.' The fuel becomes thoroughly mixed and forms a compact body, especially if stirred at the same time with the stirringlrod or poker L.

In making gas where fa new charge of fuel is introdued, I inject steam, or steam and air mixed, from below at the port V and take the resulting gas off at the middle portion of the furnace through pipe O, located below the top of the fuel at a point where the fuel is incandescent. The -gases generated from the new charge of fuel are thus vcaused to pass down through a portion of the hot fuel, thereby becoming fixed, and theypass od with the gases rcsultin g from the decomposed steam.

The steam-generating coils Q are formed at the base of fuel-chamber F, preferably in the brick wall, as shown, and one end of the pipe extends o'ut through the wall of the furnace and has connecting with itrthe small water-supply pipe J, leading from the city water-main or an elevated tank or from a pump, so that water may be forced under pressure and in the 'form of a spray into the coil-pipe. Avertical pipe q connects the coil Q with a larger coil Q', arranged at the top of the generating-furnace-and across the outlet-liuc for the escaping gas. The coils Qare made larger in size than those at the base to aord room for the expansion of the steam, also to produce dry steam and a large supply thereof. The pressure is thus madermore uniform. A smaller pipe Q leads from coils Q to the Krting blower Q" or other similar steam and air injector, located at the top of the furnace and above the outlct-lue, where the 'heat is the greatest. The steam-coils are IOO log,

IIO

arranged so that the Coldwater is introduced in the form of a spray into the coolest portion of the pipe and so that the water or resultsteam and air over the hottest part of the furp nace, whereby they are superheated before being injected into the body of the fuel. This arrangement of the superheater at the topof the furnace is quite'advantageous, asby means 4of it much heat is saved and utilized. Passage-ways R R are also made inthe lining of 'the furnace for conducting steam or a mixture of steam and air down tothe ports V V, from which they escape into the fuel. One of the passages R leads down to the base of chamber F and connects with the superheating coils v' just above the plateP, and the portVf leads from suchcoils R into the fuel-chamber. The passa-ges R R and the passage-V connect with the superheating-channels iu thedouble top of thefurnace, and such passages are con-- trolled by screwA plugs or` valves 1, 2, and 3, passing through the top plate C. Pipes yww',

provided withthe valves 7 and 8, conduct steam from pipe Q through the valve-plugs 1 and -2 into passages R and V. A third steampipe leads to valve-plug 3 for conductingsteam through passages R and .port V below the -top .of .the fuel.' The pipe a, provided with a j valve, connects with valve 7 for supplying hydrocarbon oil through valve 1 and passage V into the top of the furnace.- The steam and oil may bepassed together through valve 7 and its connecting-pipe. `'Ihe screw-plugs l, 2, and 3 are provided with seats on plate f in the double top of the furnace, as shown at valve I, so that steam or mixed steamand air may be shut off from anyone of the passages .-R or V. Byl means of the supply-pipes and valves 7 and 8 additional steam may be in'- jected with a mixture of steam and air which is heated in the channels of the double top of the furnace. Steam alone'may be injected by vclosing the plugs 1,2, and 3 and'opening one ormore of the steam-valves 7 or'8. The injectors are arranged to blasteither up or down through the fuel or near the central portion at V', and gas may be ltaken olf either at the outer exit X or near the center at O or at the bottom X. The furnace may also be blasted either up or down at the same time and the resulting gas taken off atO. By means of .the bottom coils Q and top coils Q steam is readily generated on first lighting the fire and can be used in a very short time inthe injectors for creating an air-blast.

The .hopper G passes centrally through the top plate C and opens into the top of the fur- ',nace. It is provided at the bottom with a conical valve g, as shown in Fig. 4, and is provided at a point above lwith a guideways, into which is iitted a slide S, sharpened at its lower edge for cutting through the fuel. The slide S is pivotally connected to the under side of the Weighted lever, composed of a .trough or case I, which is pivotedto ast-andard j, as shown in Fig. 6. The trough I contains a heavy cast-iron ball'z, which rolls freely from one vend to the other of such trough as it is tilted on its f ulcrum. This trough-lever is connected by astrong crossbar k with t-he lever of sleeve-rod g', connecting with aconical valve g, so that the cuttingslide Sand valve g may be operated simultaneously .for 'supplying a iixed charge of fuelto the generator. The trough-lever I 'is arranged parallel with the-lever for operating 4the hopper-valve g, so'that the two levers arev easily-operated together. The stirringrod or poker L l passes up through the sleeve-rod Ig', and'is provided at the top with awheel m for turning it and with an eye,'to which is connected a chain or rope Z Z', passing over the supporting-pulleys' n, suitably supported in hangers above thelgenerator.' The poker is raised by the chain and is then allowed to fall by its own weight, thereby breaking up` the fiiel'. When it is inserted into the fuel, it may also be turned by the Wheel for better stirringV and breaking 'up any crust that may be formed in the coal. In Fig. 5 I have shown a lever Z,- pivoted to a standard n', for operatingthe poker L. I have also shown a weighted lever k', pivoted to jstandard jf, for raising and llowering the'v hopper-valve g. These are modifications whichcan be readily applied and operated in place of the mechanism shown in Fig'. 4.-

An ash-pit 5 is arranged below the ashlchamber A, and may be m/ade to closely surround the extension a" of such chamber to receive the ashes discharged from the chamber by valve a, and .thus prevent annoyance of dustand dirt escaping when the furnace is cleaned. Theash-pit 5 -is made air-tight, and the ashes can be dumped in it while the` generator is in operation' without loss of gas.

IOO

IOs

IIO

An air and steam blast pipe may connect directly with the ash-chamber A below the top plate P, so as to supply air, or air and steam, up through the grate W or through the passage b" when the fire-box is sufficiently lowered. The winding-channel in the' double top of the furnace may open directly through the outer circumferential wall of plate C, as shown in Fig. 2, or such wall may be closed and a passageway or opening' arranged in the top ofplate C, where the Korting injector Q" connects, as shown in Fig. l..

The furnace may be operated for the production of gas as follows: Valve l0 is opened, and valves 11,11'2, and l3'are closed, and then valve a in the ash-chamber is opened, and the lire is lighted in the furnace, and fuel is gradually supplied through the hopper till abri'sk fi-rc is started and steam is generated. As

means the fire is blasted and soon heated to y cent. of hydrogen and carbonio oxide is thus produced. So soon as gas -of a good quality is being generated valve l0 is' closed, valve 11 opened, and the gas as generated is con- -ducted oft to the place of consumption or to a holder. As occasion requires and when the fuel is in proper condition, air or steam and air mixed may be injected through the ports V V and the resulting gas taken ot' through the pipe X', leading from the ash-pit or through the pipe O, leading from the middle portion of the furnace. Various kinds and qualities of gas may be made in my generator. For ordinary industrial purposes, brick-burning, dac., I use the steam-blower, together with as much more superheated steam as the hre will decompose without too great loss of heat. When gas is required for both heat-ing and lighting purposes, I conduct the operation intermittently-that is, I first use the blower alone, making producer-gas and run it to a holder, at the same time heating the fuel to a high temperature or state of incandescence: Then I supply a fresh charge ot' fuel to the furnace and inject steam alone from below.that is, at port V-and a cery tain quantity of steam and oil from above through valve 7 and passage V. TWater-gas composed of hydrogen and carbonio oxide is produced by the decomposition, of steam passed up through the fuel from port VU, and hydrocarbon or carbureted hydrogen is generated by the passage of the oil and steam downward through the fuel from port V, and these pass oit through the pipe O and thence to aseparate holder. The water-gas and the hydrocarbon gas readily mingle together in the pipes and in the holder, making an ex- V cellent quality of4 gas for both -heating and lighting. By a careful observance of the condition of the fuel the oil may be injected at the top, vaporized in the fuel where it is ata comparatively low temperature, and -the resulting vapor converted into fixed gas without producing lampfblack. The hydrocarbon oil is .injected through the valve 7 by means of steam supplied through'pipe fr.

For the purpose of operatinggas-englnes I `sometimes use the mixed water-gas and producergas, and sometimes mix with such gases a small amount ot oil-vapor or carbureted tured,.

hydrogen generated from a small supply of hydrocarbon oil. 'lhus I may inject thc steam and air through the port V below and at' the saine vtime inject steam, air, and oil from above and draw-oft the resulting gas through the pipe O. a more explosive gas than that produced by the simple mixture of water-gas and producen In suchlcases I inject steam and oil at' the top of the generator and steam and air at the bottom and unite the resulting gas at pipe O. 4

By utilizing the radiant heat stored upin the brick-workand the generator-cover by means of air and steam passage-ways ar. ranged as described, as well as the sensible heat of the escaping products, I am enabled to vmake a higher grade of Water-gas and producergas than that usually manufac- I secure a further advantage by use of the hot blast of air forV the combustion of vthe gasitself after it is produced. In order The quantity of gas generated may be regui lated by attaching the handle of the' blower by chain ^nd pulleys to the top of the gasholder.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what man ner the same is -to be performed, I declare that what I claim is l. In a gas-generator, the fuel-chamber having its walls inclined downward and ou';- ward internally, in combination with a mo.- able fire-box or grate which supports the entire weight of the body of fuel and mechanism for simultaneously giving such fire-box or grate both a rot-ary and an up-and-down motion, substantially' as and for the purpose described. p

2. In a gas-generator, the f nel-chamber having its walls inclined downward and outward internally, in combination with a movable tire-box having its Walls inclined upward and outward and means for giving such re-box an up-and-down motion for shaking up the fuel and mixing fresh coal with the coke in the fuel-chamber, also preventing c aking otv ly this method I obtain IIO its walls and fitted within 'a downwardly-extending ilange or ring p andmechanism for raising and lowering such fire-box, for thev purpose described. 5 5. Incombination with a gas-generator, a movable fire-box, having secured within ita dumpin'g'- grate and-mechanism-for giving such fire-box both arotary down-motion, as described.

6. In combination with the furnace and the movable fire-box, an ash-chamber surrounding such box, having an inclined bottom provided with a downward extension 'and atightly-closing valve for dumping the ashes x 5 .into a connecting ash-pit, as described.

`7. In combination with a gas-generator,theV Y movable fire-box, mechanism for giving such box a rotary and vertical motion, a dumping- .`grate,'and the extra bars D, arranged -in passz ages at the base of the fuel-chamber and above i the fire-box, as and for thepurpcse described. 8. In combination with a gas-generator, the heating-coils arranged near the bottom of the fuel-chamber and having means for supply- 25 ing them with a jet or sprayof water and the steam superheat-ing-coils arranged at the top of the fuel-chamber and partly in the flue of the outgoing hot gas and connecting with said heating-coil, for the purpose described. 3oA 9. In combination with the gas-generator,

the double top of the furnace having verti= cal partitions forming winding passages and means, such as ast-eam-jet blower, for supplying the passages with air or a mixture of 3 5 air and steam, and passage-ways leading from and an lip-and;y

thefdouble top into the fuel-chamber. of thc furnace. t

10. In combination with 'thedoublc top of passages,' an injector connecting therewith' for supplying vair and steam to be heated,V

the furnace having winding oxcircuitouspassage-ways leadingtherefrom into the furnace, screw-plug valves for closing such pasadditional quantity of steam to the. mixture of steam and air which is supplied to thefu r1 nace from the double top, as`described.v

A 11. In combinationv with a gas-generator, a

4sage-ways, and steam-supply pipes connect 'ing with the passage-ways for supplying an '45 fuel-supply hopper having conical valve at'5c .the bottom anda sharp-'edged slide-valve above, an operating-leverconnecting WitlLthe rods of both such valves and a banconnect ingthe levers, and means for 'simultaneouslyl operating the two v valves for supplying fuel .to the'furnace, as described.

12. In combination with the furnace and its fuel-hopper, a conical valve haying a hol low rod, a connecti ng-leverfor.A operating 1t,

a stirring-rod or poker 'passing'down :through such hollow valve-rod, and means forraising, lowering, and turning the poker, for -the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I'afiix my lsignature .in presence of two witnesses.` 

